Power actuated play swing



Sept. 1, 1964 D. P. GRUDOSKI POWER ACTUATED PLAY SWINQ Filed Aug. 8, 1951 INVENTOR. Dam 2| P. G rudOSk'c United States Patent Ofitice 3,146,985 Patented Sept. 1,, 1964 3,146,985 POWER ACTUATED PLAY SWING Daniel P. Grudoski, Hartstown, Pa., assignor to Blazon, Inc., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Aug. 8, 1961, Ser. No. 130,138 4 Claims. (Cl. 248370) This invention relates to play swings, and in particular relates to a power-operated play swing for children.

One object of the present invention is to provide a power-operated play swing which is gentle and safe to operate, and in which the swinging action substantially closely simulates that of an ordinary swing when pushed by hand in well-know manner.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a power-operated play swing embodying the features of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the upper portion of the swing shown in FIGURE 1, partly broken away and in section and with a top cover removed, the same illustrating actuating means for the swing.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary end elevation, as viewed from the left of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary cross-section, taken substantially on the line 44 of FIGURE 2, but illustrating rearward and forward positions of swinging movement of the swing in full and chain-dotted lines.

Referring to the drawings generally, the numeral designates a foldable, rigid supporting frame, including horizontally extending top bars 11, 11 between which a pair of laterally spaced drop-arms 12 and 12a are swingably supported on suspension units 13, 13 best shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. Seat means 14 is affixed between the lower ends of the drop-arms 12, 12a (see FIGURE 1), for supporting a child therein, and includes rigid connecting means between the drop-arms.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 2 and 4, there is illustrated power-operated means for applying back-andforth swinging movement to the drop-arms 12. Accordingly, mounted on a horizontal supporting plate 15, suitably afiixed to the frame 10 to permit folding the same, there may be a bracket 16 on which is mounted a rotary member 17 having diametrically opposite, freely extending arms or extensions 18, 18 each carrying a roller 19. Upon rotation of the rotary member, the rollers are swung in an are or radius about a horizontal axis. The rotary member may be driven by an electric motor 22, through a spring-pressed slip-clutch 20 on a shaft 21, and a chain drive 23.

On one arm 12, which swings in a plane in alignment with the patch of swinging movement of the rollers 19, there may be afiixed a resilent buffer device comprising a fiat leaf spring 24, which normally extends in spaced relation along a substantial extent of the upper portion of arm 12 to be yieldingly engageable by one or other of the rollers 19 as the rotary member 17 is rotated by operation of motor 22. The arrangement is such that one or other of the rollers 19 on the rotating member 17, upon swinging clockwise as viewed in FIGURE 4, is adapted yieldingly to engage spring 24 when the arm 12 is in the chain-dotted position thereof shown at the left of FIGURE 4, first to urge the spring into or toward engagement with the arm 12, as shown in full lines, and then to urge arm 12 forwardly, toward the chaindotted line position at the right of FIGURE 4. In this latter position, the spring 24 will have returned to its normal spaced relation to arms 12. When the arm 12 swings back by gravity toward the left hand positions shown in FIGURE 4, the spring 24 will again be compressed by one or other of the rollers 19 to urge the arms forwardly again. This forward and rearward movement is of course transmitted to the seat means 14 and arm 12a as a unit, and is repeated as long as the member 17 is rotated.

In use of the improved swing, a child is placed in the seat 14 and the motor is operated to rotate the rotary member 17 continuously. Normally the drop-arms 12 and 12a depend vertically by gravity, as best shown in full lines in FIGURE 4. Swinging movement of the swing is initiated and continued by said rotation of the rotary member to allow one or other of the swinging rollers 19 to engage buffer spring 24 on arm 12, thereby, through said spring on arm 12 repeatedly to urge or kick the drop-arms forwardly toward the chain-dotted line position indicated at the right of FIGURE 4. That is, with each such forward kick of the drop-arms they will be swung rearwardly by gravity to re-engage one or other of the rollers 19 and again urge the swing unit forwardly, and this backward and forward swinging movement of the swing unit will be repeated continuously as long as the motor 22 is opened to rotate member 17. Because the rollers 19 may not always strike the spring 24 at the same point, there may be a variation in the swinging movement of the swing which simulates, to a large extent the variable swinging movement of manually operable swing of the type described.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A play swing comprising: a support; drop-arm means swingably suspended from said support to swing about a laterally extending suspension axis; a rotary member; means for mounting said rotary member below said suspension axis to rotate about a laterally extending member axis below said suspension axis and transversely of a vertical plane; said rotary member having at least one freely presented member portion swingable therewith in an arc about said member axis and within said vertical plane; and power for rotating said rotary member; said drop-arm means having a buffer portion thereon below said suspension axis and swingable therewith in said vertical plane, whereby said swinging member portion is momentarily engageable with said buffer portion to swing the droparm means in one direction away from the rotary member each time the drop-arm means swings by gravity in the opposite direction toward the member.

2. A play swing comprising: a support; drop-arm means swingably suspended from said support to swing about a laterally extending suspension axis; a rotary member; means for mounting said rotary member below said suspension axis adjacent the upper end of said droparm means to rotate about a laterally extending member axis below said suspension axis and transversely of a vertical plane; power means for rotating said member; said member having circumferentially spaced member portions swingable about said member axis and within said vertical plane; said drop-arm means having yieldingly resilient buffer means below said suspension axis and swingable in said vertical plane with backward and forward swinging movement of the drop-arm means, whereby with successive back-swing movements of the droparm means said buffer means is momentarily yieldingly engageable by one or other of said swinging member portions yieldingly to urge the drop-arm means in forward direction.

3. A play swing comprising: a support; drop-arm means swingably suspended from said support; a rotary member; means for mounting said rotary member adjacent the upper end of said drop-arm means torotate about an axis transversely of a vertical plane of swinging movement of said drop arm means; and means for rotating said member; said member having at least one roller thereon swingable in an arc therewith about said axis; said drop-arm means having thereon a resilient leaf spring means swingable therewith in said plane with backward and forward swinging movement of the drop-arm means, whereby with successive back-swing movements of the drop-arm means said leaf spring means is momentarily engageable by said swinging roller to urge the drop arm means in forward direction.

4. A play swing comprising: a support; drop-arm means swingably suspended from said support; a rotary member; means for mounting said rotary member adjacent the upper end of said drop-arm means to rotate about an axis transversely of a vertical plane of swinging movement of said drop-arm means; and means for rotating said member; said member having peripherally spaced rollers thereon swingable in an are about said axis;

said drop-arm means having yieldingly resilent buffer means swingable therewith in said plane with backward and forward swinging movement of the drop-arm means, whereby with successive back-swing movements of the drop-arm means said resilient buffer means is momentarily yieldingly engageable by said swinging member portion to urge the drop-arm means in forward direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 281,124 Ordway July 10, 1883 393,131 Von Boeckman Nov. 20, 1888 2,912,226 Vencill Nov. 10, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 10,374 Denmark Dec. 21, 1907 40,780 Switzerland Mar. 14, 1908 499,812 Canada Feb. 9, 1954 

1. A PLAY SWING COMPRISING: A SUPPORT; DROP-ARM MEANS SWINGABLY SUSPENDED FROM SAID SUPPORT TO SWING ABOUT A LATERALLY EXTENDING SUSPENSION AXIS; A ROTARY MEMBER; MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID ROTARY MEMBER BELOW SAID SUSPENSION AXIS TO ROTATE ABOUT A LATERALLY EXTENDING MEMBER AXIS BELOW SAID SUSPENSION AXIS AND TRANSVERSELY OF A VERTICAL PLANE; SAID ROTARY MEMBER HAVING AT LEAST ONE FREELY PRESENTED MEMBER PORTION SWINGABLE THEREWITH IN AN ARC ABOUT SAID MEMBER AXIS AND WITHIN SAID VERTICAL PLANE; AND POWER FOR ROTATING SAID ROTARY MEMBER; SAID DROP-ARM MEANS HAVING A BUFFER PORTION THEREON BELOW SAID SUSPENSION AXIS AND SWINGABLE THEREWITH IN SAID VERTICAL PLANE, WHEREBY SAID SWINGING MEMBER PORTION IS MOMENTARILY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID BUFFER PORTION TO SWING THE DROP-ARM MEANS IN ONE DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE ROTARY MEMBER EACH TIME THE DROP-ARM MEANS SWINGS BY GRAVITY IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TOWARD THE MEMBER. 